Caps recap: First-place Capitals are peaking at the right time

The Capitals will put their eight-game winning streak on the line tonight against the Canadiens, and should they pick up a win in Montreal and if the Flyers lose tonight, they will overtake their nemeses from Philadelphia for the top spot in the East.

The Capitals' caliber of play with a dozen games left is light years away from what we saw a year ago when they moon-walked their way into the playoffs and then to D.C.-area golf courses. They are the hottest team in hockey, and teams with momentum heading into the playoffs are especially dangerous in the NHL.

And it's not just that the Capitals are winning games right now, it's that they are winning close ones they weren't capable of winning in postseasons past. Seven of those eight wins were by a single goal, and the other was a 5-0 shutout. That prompted veteran forward Mike Knuble to tell The Washington Post that the Capitals aren't "just kids anymore with the let’s-fly-by-the-seat-of-their-pants attitude and no responsibility."

But Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau, who always goes with the hot hand between the pipes, must make a critical decision in the coming weeks: Which of their three young goaltenders will get the nod for the playoffs?

Braden Holtby, who was named the NHL's first star last week, is on fire right now. But I agree with The Post's Tarik El-Bashir, who said in this excellent post that the Capitals need to go with Michael Neuvirth. Neuvirth proved he could handle the pressure when he led the Capitals' American Hockey League affiliates, the Hershey Bears, to back-to-back Calder Cup titles in 2009 and 2010.

Either way, though, Boudreau needs to pick a goalie ASAP so they can get into a groove down the stretch. It would be a huge mistake if he decided to play yo-yo goalies in the postseason again.

The Capitals are finally clicking with a month remaining in the regular season. They have won five straight games and seven of eight to reclaim the top spot in the Southeast Division, and Monday night's 2-1 shootout victory over the Lightning gave Washington a two-point lead over Tampa Bay.

The Capitals' season continues to see-saw with 21 games left before the playoffs. They haven't been able to get in a steady rhythm since a strong November, winning a few games before losing a few then doing it all over again and again.

The period before free agency brings a lot more focus to the untenable contracts and salary cap numbers on NFL rosters. But there's also a flip side. This week's Five for Friday highlights some of the Ravens' best contracts heading into 2015.